Small Business Compliance

Through its Small Business Environmental Ombudsman (SBEO) program, Environmental Services Unit (ESU) provides businesses with free, confidential assistance to better understand and comply with air quality regulations.

You may qualify for free assistance if your business is independently owned and operated, with fewer than 100 employees. All inquiries will be held in strict confidence. Compliance assistance is available by calling Empire State Development (ESD) at 1-800-STATE NY (782-8369) or e-mail: environment@empire.state.ny.us.

Small businesses typically do not have environmental managers, consultants or attorneys on staff to interpret complex air quality requirements or to keep up with regulatory changes and developments affecting their operations. In response, the SBEO program provides a wide range of compliance assistance services including:

• Regulatory Assistance - SBEO will help determine which permits or registrations you may need and when to obtain them; your rights and responsibilities once a permit or registration is issued; and which regulation(s) and requirement(s) affect your business operations and how to comply with them.
  
• Referral Services – SBEO is able to refer companies to an extensive network of small business assistance programs that provide technical services at the local, state and federal levels.

The New York State Environmental Assistance Network Service Providers (NYSEAN), a collaborative effort of several economic development, technical and environmental service providers throughout the State, produced a directory of New York State Environmental Assistance Network Service Providers. The directory can be downloaded, in Adobe Acrobat format, from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Web site at www.dec.state.ny.us/website/ppu/nyseansp.pdf.

A list of other important resource links is also available for download, in Adobe Acrobat format, by clicking here.

• Outreach and Education – SBEO provides updates to small businesses about regulatory news and deadlines, sponsors state-wide information workshops regarding important regulatory developments, and publishes informational materials to help businesses understand relevant regulations. Click here to download a list of publications and web sites.
  
• Advocacy Services – SBEO tracks developments in air quality regulations and represents the interests of small business before federal, state and local agencies in the creation and implementation of environmental policy.
  
• SBEO List of Publications
  

  For more information about Empire State Development ‘s (ESD) Environmental Services call or email:

  Toll free: 1 (800) STATE NY or 1 (800) 782-8369
  New York City and Long Island: (212) 803-2282
  Upstate: (518) 292-5340
  environment@empire.state.ny.us

  *These publications are in PDF format and require the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click the Certification Application to extract the compressed file and save to your hard drive. Get Acrobat Reader here